Nigella Lawson's Garlic and Parsley Hearth Breads

Everything about this bread is good. Everything. It's pretty much a focaccia. A yummy dough is slathered in a garlicky, herby olive oil and baked to a golden perfection. Seriously, what's not to love?!

It's meat free Monday in our house and stuffed shells are on the menu. These breads are a perfect accompaniment to our Italian American dinner. The recipe is easy and the bread comes together in a few hours. Definitely worth the wait! 

Nigella Lawson's Garlic and Parsley Hearthbreads

500g strong white flour (bread flour)

7g yeast

1 Tbsp salt

300-400 ml warm water

5 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for greasing and for pouring over the garlic

3 or 4 small heads

bunch of flatleaf parsley

maldon salt for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375F. 

Combine the flour, yeast and salt in a bowl. Pour 300ml water water into measuring jug and stir in olive oil. Mix the liquid with the dry ingredients to make a soft but firm dough, adding more liquid as needed, and either turn this out onto a surface and knead by hand or keep in the bowl and use a mixer fitted with the dough hook and knead until smooth, supple and full of elastic life. Form into a ball, place into an oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise for an hour or until doubled in size. 

While the bread is rising, trip the tops of the garlic heads off, making sure they remain whole. Sit the heads on squares of foil, sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper, close up the foil squares to make an air tight little package. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, unwrap and cool. 

Process the cooled garlic cloves with parsley in the bowl of a small food processor. Drizzle in oil until you have a thick paste.

When the dough has risen, punch it down and leave it to rest for 10 minutes. Divide the dough in 2, and get out 2 baking sheets. Sit one ball of dough on a well oiled sheet and use your fingers  to press out the dough and stretch  it to form a oval or rectangular shape. Cover and allow to rise for 20 minutes. Poke the dough all over with your fingers and spread the parsley garlic mixture all over the dough. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with Maldon when you remove it from the oven. 

So stinkin' good.

Chocolate Cream Pie

This is just a simple chocolate cream pie. I am not one for a lot of pie crust making in the summer time. I usually have a bit of a stock pile of crusts rolled out and frozen for the summer for things like quiche and cream pies. But, since we were in the process of buying a house and then moving during the spring, I never got around to making a big batch and so I just bought some of those ready made frozen ones for this application. If you use one of the frozen ones you can whip this up in no time. 

The pudding/filling is really simple and so delicious. It's lightened with a bit of whipped cream, which is so lovely and then topped with more whipped cream. Delish! It's one of my most favorite pies.

Chocolate Cream Pie

1 9-inch pie crust, fully baked and cooled

Filling:

1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream or half and half
1/3 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
3 Tb cornstarch
8 ounces chocolate, chopped - I like to use a combo of dark chocolate (5 oz) and milk chocolate (3 oz)
4 Tb butter, cut into cubes at room temp

3/4 cup whipping cream or heavy cream
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/2 ts vanilla extract

Bring the milk and cream to a boil over medium heat. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and a pinch of salt together in a medium, heavy bottomed pot until creamy. Add the hot milk a little at a time, whisking. Cook the custard over medium low heat until it comes to a boil, whisking the whole time. Once it comes to a boil, cook it for 2-3 minutes. Promptly remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Allow the chocolate to sit in the custard for a few minutes and whisk until melted and combined. Allow the custard to cool for 10 minutes. Whisk is the butter. Cover with cling and refridgerate until cold. Once the custard is completely cold, whip the cream, icing sugar and vanilla stiff peaks. Fold 1/3 of the cream into the chocolate pudding and pour into the cooled pie crust. Top with the remaining whipped cream.

The New Irish Table ~ Murphy's In A Clogher Mist

I love this this potato dish. Love, love, love! I've been making this for years and it's a family favorite. The recipe comes from an amazing cookbook by Margaret Johnson called The New Irish Table. I've made a number of the recipes from the book and they have been delicious. But this is my favorite find. Parboiled potato wedges are mixed with butter, cream, bacon and topped with smoked cheddar. Talk about knock your socks off! Make these, Potato Lovers, you will be in heaven!

Murphy's In A Clogher Valley Mist

1 1/2 lbs boiling potatoes, unpeeled (I use yukon golds because they are my fav AP potato)
2 Tb unsalted butter
4 slices bacon, cooked until crispy
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup shredded smoked cheddar or any good sharp cheddar
* 1 Tb chopped chives - if I've got them on hand, they go really well in these - but this is not part of the original recipe*

Preheat oven to 400F. Butter a baking dish. Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water for 15-18 minutes or until tender. Drain and let cool to the touch.. Cut each potato into 4 -6 wedges, depending on size. Place wedges skin side down in the prepared pan and toss with butter. Pour the cream over the ptoatoes, sprinkle with the cheese and crumble over the bacon. Sprinkle with chives, if using. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cream has thickened and the cheese has melted.

Spiced Banana Loaf Cake With Chocolate Chunks

I have to start by saying that I have had ZERO success making any kind of banana bread that does not come from a box. It's shameful, I know. But, every time I have ever tried to make a banana bread it has been a hopeless disaster. I wasn't all that hopeful about this cake. I think I am cursed when it comes to banana cakes/breads.

Well, surprise surprise! Not any more!! This cake was super, duper easy and it is unbearably delicious. As I type this up it is taking every ounce of will power to not pop over into the kitchen and sneak a piece before dinner. My mouth waters at the thought.

My daughter and I have been watching The River Cottage Series, all of them. We are currently on River Cottage Forever. We took a slight detour though and watched River Cottage: Three Go Mad and my daughter begged me to make the Spice Banana Cake with Chocolate Chunks. I couldn't possibly tell her no. This morning, with three very ripe bananas staring me in the face, I felt the fear and dived right in.

I'm not kidding you when I say this banana cake is divine. It's definitely going to become a staple in our house.

Spiced Banana Loaf Cake with Chocolate Chunks
from River Cottage - Three Go Mad

1 tsp ground cardamom
250g self raising flour
Good pinch of sea salt
100g butter, cut into small pieces
125g brown sugar
100g chocolate, cut into chunks
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 egg lightly beaten
1 Tbsp coarse sugar, such as turbinado or demerara, mixed with 1/4 ts cardamom
I also added: 1 tsp vanilla

Sift the flour, salt and cardamom into a large bow. Add the butter and rub into the flour until you have the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and chocolate and mix together. Make a well, add the bananas, egg and vanilla. Mix together well. Pour into an 8 x 4 loaf tin, that has been greased and lined with parchment, sprinkle over the coarse sugar and bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs. Try to avoid eating the entire loaf when it is cool enough to cut. :o)

I've been doing a touch of sewing, don't mind the sewing machine in the background. ;o)

Grasmere Gingerbread

I have a number of the River Cottage Handbooks and I love them all very much. I make no secret of my love affair with the Bread Handbook ~ It is the book that taught me so much about bread baking and inspired me tremendously in the kitchen. I was thrilled last year when the Cakes Handbook came out. I ordered it straight away and I've been charmed ever since. Every recipe I have made has been a smashing success. There are a few recipes that I have been especially intrigued by. Grasmere Gingerbread is one of them. Pam describes the recipe as chewy, gingery shortbread. Seriously? sounds perfect to me!

I'm a ginger lover. I've always loved a good ginger bread with a great big dollop of whipped cream on top and ginger snaps were a staple in my house growing up. I loved dunking the crunchy cookies into a nice cold glass of milk. Ginger snaps always remind me of my Mum, who absolutely loves them. I know she'd be really keen on Grasmere Gingerbread as well.

The recipe was easy and straightforward. Although I really like the cookies, I did wish they were a bit sweeter. I think next go 'round I'd add a bit more sugar or even substitute the root ginger for a candied ginger to pump up the sweetness. The cookies are really interesting, at first you get a buttery, oaty hit and then the lime and ginger kick in, it's a great combination. I like that these cookies last for an age in an air tight tin, two whole weeks! And they only get better with age, the flavor becomes more potent and the chewy factor definitely improves. Another winner from Pam the Jam!

Grasmere Gingerbread

125g plain flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 ts baking powder
125g fine oatmeal
125g soft brown sugar
175 unsalted butter
50 fresh ginger, grated or 50g candied ginger, finely chopped
Finely grated zest and juice of one lime
2 Tb flaked almonds

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line and grease a 8x10" baking tray, I used a 9" square tray as 8x10 isn't a very common sized tray here in the US.
Sift the flour, ground ginger and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the oatmeal and sugar and mix well. Melt the butter in a saucepan and pour into the dry ingredients. Add the ginger, lime zest and lime juice. Mix well until a moist dough forms. Press the mixture into the tin and sprinkle over the flaked almonds. Bake for about 30 minutes until golden around the edges. Mark the dough immediately upon removing from the oven, like you would a shortbread, into squares or fingers. Allow the cookies to cool completely in the tin. Store in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks.